The María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation has been awarded the City of Madrid Gold Medal in recognition of its work in the field of patronage and Art Collecting and its “contribution to the conservation, recovery and dissemination of the Historical Heritage and the cultural diversity of Madrid”.

With this award, Madrid City Council has also recognised the sponsorship provided by the Foundation to the Arts, to the Casa Alba Foundation, the Helga de Alvear Foundation and the Abelló Collection. The award has also been granted to the Royal Spanish Academy, in its tercentenary, along with the Gastronomy of Madrid and Dr Pedro Guillén.

The City of Madrid Gold Medal is the highest honour awarded by the City Council of Spain’s capital to individuals or institutions that, besides having excelled in their respective fields, have a special connection with the city of Madrid.

As is customary, the medals were awarded during the city’s Patron Saint festivities, on Saint Isidro Labrador day, in the Crystal Gallery of Cibeles Palace on 15 May 2015 at 12:30.

The Award Ceremony Speech
“Mayoress, authorities, award winners, ladies and gentlemen…
I feel truly honoured to receive this Medal on behalf of the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, heiress to a valuable cultural and artistic legacy, which is the living testimony of the spirit of its founder.

A new site in Alcalá Galiano, to undertake the activities of our Foundation, in accordance with the wishes of María Cristina Masaveu; the wonderful initiative carried out at the site of the Columbus Statue and the Visions of Asturias exhibitions that we have implemented in this city are all an example of the projects that will be launched in coming years, in order to promote culture for the benefit of all.

I would like to dedicate this Medal as a tribute to my forebearers who, with dedication, intelligence and commitment, have created employment and wealth wherever they have been, for 175 years.

They have always had a particular sensitivity for culture and art, bequeathed through the ages and, through this Foundation, they have brought them closer to civil society, which has the right to enjoy, and the duty to preserve, the heritage treasures left over the centuries by history and human creation.

I would like to acknowledge the work of all those people and institutions that, with such generosity and success, have made each and every one of the projects carried out by the Foundation possible. This Foundation will be forever thankful for their dedication and commitment.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Madrid City Council for the determination, zeal and creativity placed in the cultural activities that put such an important heritage at the service of the people of Madrid, converting a private and personal passion, such as these Collections, into a public action, for the enjoyment of all, not simply as an object of complementation, but as a way to promote values based on thought and reflection, creating more educated, and therefore more just, societies.

Special thanks to the Mayoress, who is always devoted, sensitive and receptive to all initiatives that make Madrid a cultural reference.
Congratulations to all the other winners, it is an honour for the Foundation to share this day with them all.

Many thanks to all”

MR FERNANDO MASAVEU
PRESIDENT